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@uiten tatts itat-enf @High JAMES H. SWINDELL, or cAM'Dan,l Newl JERSEY'.

Leners Para: No. 77,126, dmaapm 21, 186s.

IMPROVEMENT IN INDEXING BOOKS AND LEDGBRS.

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TO ALI'WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. SWINDELL, of Camden, in the countyof Camden, arid State of New Jersey. have invented a new and improved Method of Indexing Books, Lcd'gers, Ste.; and I do hereby declare that thc following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled-in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figures 1 and 2 represent face views of my invention. i

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

This invention relates to a new method of indexing books, ledgers, Ste., so that with two or three turns any ,desired page can at once be found.

The invention consists in subdividing, by `means of notches, such pages which are found by means of t-hc ordinary notches, indicating the capital letters or the hundreds or thousands, as the case may be.

The invention is particularly applicable to large dictionaries, account-books, lexica, and other large books.

A A represent the notches out into the margin of a lexicon or other book, D, to find the commencement of words or names which begin with certain capital'letters.` J

These' notches extend from vthe i'rst page respectively to those pages at which such words commence, and at the bottom of each notch isprinted upon the leaf forming the bo'ttom the required .capital letter. This arrangement of one set of notches isV already in use in manyfbooks. e v

My invention consists in subdividing, by means of notches, the leaves for every particular letter.

Thus, in'g. 1, it isjshown that the margin of the book is provided'with notches B B, to eaclrof which ono or morev letters are marked, such letter or letters indicating the Ase'c'ondor third letter of the word, commencing with the Vcapital letter inthe department of which-such notches B are arranged. Thus, for example, the commencement in the book .of the words beginning with thecapital letter E,vha`ving been found by the aid of tho notches A, thev notches B B on the first page, containing such letters which commence with the letter E, aro

marked by letters g g; Zz', nun'tc., denoting that *the leaf which forms the bottom of such notch contains tho words commencing with the letters Egg, Eli,.Emp, &c. v

For very large books, the leaves between the notches B may be again subdivided by notches indicating still more letters-of commencement' than the`notches B, and thus a required word can easily befound by two or three turns. For /prale, the word Excelsior is to be found. The commencement of the words beginning with the letter E is und by means of the notches A. The irs't page of E displays the notches B appended to the letter E; and thereby\the words commencing with the letters Exc can be found at'oncc.

If the book is very voluminous, a subdivision, bya third series of notches, may show thc words commencing with the letters Excel. The arrangement of this subdivision may be varied. Thus the marks referring to the bottom page of each notch B may be on such bottom page at the bottom of cach notch, or on the topp-age, near the margin of each notch, as in g. 1.

The same device can be used for a numerical as well as for 'an alphabetical index, asshown in iig. 2, in which A are the notches dividing the pages as to hundrcdsfand B B are notches,r snbdividing the pages containing certain hundreds into tens. Those containing certain tens may again, by.means.of notches, be subdivided to indicate units, &c. A y.

A small spatula or narrow plate, C, fig. l, will be very convenient for finding the required page, the point of the instrument being inserted at the bottom of the required notch, when the book is easily opened at the desired place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentz is-.f

Arranging 4an alphabetical or numerical index far books, by cutting two or more sets of notches in the margins of such'books, and by making appropriatemarks to each of the said notches, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

. JAMES H. SWINDELL. Witnesses:

HIRAM MGoRMIcK, ROBERT W. HARPER 

